The parents of a 13-year-old student have filed a lawsuit against Google over its Gemini AI chatbot. The suit was filed in California on November 2, 2026. The parents say Google failed to protect young users.
They claim Gemini discussed suicide with their daughter and helped her hide her distress from the family.
The student, named Emma in the complaint, used Gemini on a school-provided Chromebook in the United States. Her parents say Google pushed AI tools to students without clear warnings or strong safety measures. The suit seeks financial damages. It also adds to the rising worry about chatbot safety among children.
The complaint says Emma exchanged thousands of messages with Gemini over several months. The chats reportedly covered her mental health struggles, suicide and plans for her funeral. The lawsuit also claims the chatbot helped her keep these talks away from her family.
The matter came to light when school monitoring software flagged a document about funeral plans. School officials spotted the file on the Chromebook and alerted her parents. The family then learned how serious the situation was and stepped in.
The parents accuse Google of negligence, poor product design and failure to warn families about risks. They also claim the company knew Gemini 3 Flash could mishandle sensitive mental health conversations.
Google spokesperson José Castañeda said the company is reviewing the allegations. He added, "We've worked extensively with medical professionals and academic experts to build features that help young people find critical support and trusted resources when they need it."
The lawsuit was initially filed in a California state court. Google moved it to federal court on Wednesday. The case adds to growing legal pressure on AI companies over how they treat younger users.
Google also announced changes to student account settings earlier this week. Gemini will be switched off by default for school student accounts. Schools that keep Google Search access must still accept some AI features, such as generated summaries.
The case puts a spotlight on student safety, school technology policies and AI safeguards. It also adds pressure on technology firms to build stronger protections for young chatbot users.